A moron, Thomas Slattery, is suing Apple because the songs he bought on iTunes won't play on anything but an iPod. He can play the files on a Windows box using VLC, and if he is clever about it, he can get the decryption keys back to the Mac and strip the protection using hymn. Or he can burn a CD of the music that will play on any CD player, and he can then re-rip the music from that CD into MP3 or AAC format, using the same iTunes software that allowed him to obtain the songs in the first place, and play it on any device that supports these formats.

He is a moron because he expects the courts not to notice this. Justice is blind, but it ain't that blind.

Re: moron sues Apple

There are 5 messages in this thread, displayed in the order they were posted.

Gordon Hawley 1/7/2005 10:56:38 AM Pacific

Almost as good as the guy who is suing Fear Factor. I couldn't find the actual article, so here is the post from Horror Taxi Blog.
New Contender For "Stupidest Thing I've Ever Heard"
Austin Aitken is suing NBC for 2.5 million dollars. Apparently he was watching Fear Factor a couple months ago and a the contestants had to eat a rat. It's disgusting, but that's Fear Factor. Mr. Aitken couldn't stomach what he saw and he threw up. Then he felt dizzy and tried to go into his bedroom to lay down, but he hit his head on the way. I'm not sure how any of this is NBC's fault--it just sounds to me like Austin Aitken is an incredible deuchebag. Don't file a lawsuit, man--feel very embarassed by your hypersensitivity and change the goddamned channel.
In his (hand-written, possibly in crayon) complaint, Aitken says that "NBC is sending the wrong message to its TV watchers that cash can make or have people do just about anything beyond reasoning (sic) and in most cases against their will." I'd make just a couple alterations to that: NBC is sending a message to viewers that they already know; that the presence of a camera and the chance at some cash turns a lot of people into very amusing characters that viewers enjoy watching. The same can't be said for Austin Aitken I'm afraid. He's not amusing--but the persuit of cash and cameras seem to be on his mind. Reuters tried to interview him but he told them...well, read it in his own words: "I am not at liberty to discuss the complaint unless it is a paid-interview situation."
Can we please have a frivolous lawsuit firing squad? Austin needs to go.

Gordon Hawley

1/7/2005 11:21:57 AM Pacific

Found an official link...

Dan	1/7/2005 12:37:44 PM Pacific

He is a moron because he expects the courts not to notice this.
The courts, however, might also notice that each of the methods you describe are DMCA violations, designed to circumvent the DRM that Apple has included in every iTunes tracks. As such, users must commit a crime in order to listen to the music they legitimately purchased on non-iPod devices. In fact, you may or may not have violated the DMCA by merely describing said methods of circumvention.

Jerry Kindall

1/7/2005 1:57:26 PM Pacific

Using functionality that Apple gives you in the application (the burn-and-rerip technique) can hardly be said to be a DMCA violation. Using Audio Hijack or an analog patch cable is also not a DMCA violation, since the thing doing the decryption at that point is also iTunes.
The hymn stuff, yeah, okay, point.
I have a hard time considering the DCMA an actual law, though. Copying for personal purposes of time- and format-shifting was long ago legitimized by Supreme Court decisions (Betamax and others). As far as I'm concerned, these longstanding decisions trump EULAs and the DMCA.

Big Bill

1/9/2005 10:28:20 PM Pacific

I am so tired of everyone suing for every little thing. So the fucker threw up...so the asshole cant play his songs on anything but Ipod. It makes me sick. Can I sue the people of the U.S. for being a bunch of money hungry, simplistic, fault-denying bastards? I stubbed my toe the other night so Im suing the company that built my building. Those assholes werent able to make my carpet at the same level as my floor...I deserve a couple of grand for that.

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Re: moron sues Apple